Pune: FDA Issues Suspension Orders to Reliance Retail and Blinkit in Food Safety Drive

Pune, 30th October 2026: Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued licence suspension orders to Reliance Retail Limited in Chakan and Blinkit Commerce Pvt. Ltd. in Nighoje after inspectors recorded deficiencies involving expired and spoiled food and the absence of verifiable disposal records, according to a press release issued on Friday.

The two Pune district establishments were among those covered by a special drive conducted during October to prevent expired, spoiled, rejected or damaged food from returning to the market under the guise of disposal. The FDA said six licences were suspended with immediate effect, suspension orders were issued against two further establishments, and two FIRs were registered.

The press release listed the combined value of stock associated with the Chakan and Nighoje establishments at ₹6.49 lakh. It did not specify how that amount was divided between the two premises or give the dates on which the suspension orders were issued.

Across all establishments covered by the action, a table in the release listed stock valued at approximately ₹5 crore. While the table described this as the value of stock seized, some of the detailed accounts said stock was found or recorded without explicitly stating that it had been seized.

The FDA said its inspections focused on whether businesses could establish what happened to expired and rejected food after it left their premises.

“A claim that expired, spoiled or rejected stock was simply handed over to a disposal vendor is not sufficient,” the release said. The agency said records should establish the movement of goods through transport, receipt and final destruction or lawful disposal.

At the Wadpe warehouse of Reliance Consumer Products Limited in Bhiwandi, inspectors recorded expired and damaged stock valued at approximately ₹4.92 lakh. The FDA said records concerning the quantity, transport, receipt and final disposal of the goods were incomplete. The establishment’s licence was suspended with immediate effect on October 15 following a hearing.

The licence of Reliance Retail Limited’s Wadpe warehouse was also suspended on October 15. The FDA said approximately 300 kg of spoiled and expired stock was found in a quarantine area, while documents including a final disposal certificate, vehicle details and weighment slips were not produced. The release listed the stock value at ₹51,264.

At Zomato Hyperpure Pvt. Ltd. in Usatane, Ambernath, inspectors recorded 5,431 spoiled, expired or rejected products, weighing approximately 9,590 kg and valued at ₹7.81 lakh. The FDA also reported hygiene, cold-chain and vehicle-related deficiencies. The establishment’s licence was suspended on October 15 after a hearing.

At Blink Commerce Pvt. Ltd.’s warehouse in Pagaon village, Bhiwandi, the FDA said approximately 18,405 items of expired and spoiled food valued at ₹32.72 lakh were found. Although a representative referred to agreements with disposal agencies, the FDA said required transport, weighment, receipt and final-disposal records were incomplete. The licence was suspended on October 22, and an FIR was registered at Bhiwandi Taluka Police Station on October 23.

The agency also acted against Cloudstore Retail Pvt. Ltd. at One K-Square Park near the Padgha toll naka in Bhiwandi, where inspectors recorded 7,566 items of expired, spoiled and rejected food worth ₹6.88 lakh. The FDA said a disposal-vendor agreement was produced, but complete records independently verifying the movement and destruction of the goods were unavailable. Its licence was suspended on October 26, and an FIR was registered at Padgha Police Station the same day.

In Navi Mumbai, the FDA said it seized 91,353 kg of food worth approximately ₹4.13 crore during inspections at Sawla Foods and Cold Storage Pvt. Ltd. in Turbhe on October 24 and 25. The cold store held products belonging to various food businesses. The seized goods included approximately 17,144 kg identified as expired, along with other food that the FDA said included unlabelled and defectively labelled products. Officials drew 32 samples for analysis and suspended the establishment’s licence.

At Discount Store on Naigaon Road in Bhiwandi, inspectors seized expired, spoiled and leaking food worth approximately ₹80,575 that was allegedly kept for sale. The FDA said purchase bills, inward records and supplier documents were unavailable.

At M/s Gulzar Abdul Mubin Khan in Chavindra, Bhiwandi, inspectors recorded approximately 429 kg of spoiled, expired or damaged food worth ₹86,825. The FDA said food was being stored and sold without valid registration or a licence and reported unhygienic conditions. Stop-business directions were issued.

The FDA said verification was continuing at the premises of B. K. Dispose in Khoni and Kamba village, Bhiwandi, concerning the source and quantity of goods and their actual disposal. Required records, including inward and outward registers and proof of final disposal, were reportedly unavailable.
“The mere availability of a vendor’s name, an agreement or a tax invoice does not establish that disposal actually took place,” the press release said.

The FDA described the licence suspensions as preventive regulatory action and said any criminal liability would be determined through investigation and the judicial process. Missing disposal records alone do not establish that food was resold.